Narrator
The narrator of the story is an adult reflecting on a period in her life after a major operation at 14 years old. After she rushes to the hospital in the middle of the night…
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Father
The narrator’s father’s assurance that her violent thoughts are normal cures her insomnia. As an adult, the. narrator reflects on how little she knew of her father’s life and inner world at the time, only…
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Minor Characters
Catherine
Catherine is the narrator’s nine-year-old sister. The two girls share a small room in their family’s house. The narrator experiences intrusive thoughts about killing Catherine. Though the narrator has an “unsettled” relationship with her younger sister and sometimes teases her, she doesn’t actually wish to harm her.
Mother
The narrator’s mother informs the narrator that the doctor removed a mysterious lump as well as the narrator’s appendix. The narrator alludes to a sickness that will befall her mother later on, after the events of the story.
